I had a lot of fun shooting PGFD Live Fire Training exercises and it was great experience. Everyone was very gracious and friendly. Afterwards, I made the stops I needed to make and got my final shots on the remainder of the firehouses. See 72 of the pictures on the PGFD Live Fire Training 4/30/08 set.
Artists run in my family.
Bailey's artwork has been chosen by her art teacher to be included in an art exhibit at the Charlotte County Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda! I'm so proud of her!!!
My birthday roses were yellow on the outside and red on the inside. I hadn't seen that before.
I got a lot of work done today and spent some time playing with custom filters in Photoshop:
It's a bit overexposed in spots but I like it. It has a vintage charm to it that's been difficult for me to achieve, so I'm a bit proud of myself for not using someone else's action to get this result. At the proper resolution, I'm confident that this would print beautifully.
I redesigned www.elleweemsphotography.com, but still need to put up the portfolio. I still hate doing web-design and really wish I could just have someone do it for me.
Tomorrow morning, I'm shooting PGFD live fire training at Station 2. I have correspondence to drop off at my attorney's office after that for the boys' summer visitation. Once I do the final shots of Stations 3 and 8 and I'll be ready to finalise this license CD for the hospital and deliver it Thursday.
The five is for "I Plead the Fifth".
I took test shots of CCFEMS 8, then did retakes of CCFEMS 2. I stopped by PGFD to discuss photographing Live Fire Training with Assistant Chief Matt Free before going to my attorney appointment. After that, I did the retake for CCFEMS 16 and then shot CCFEMS 9. I did more shots of PGFD 3, because I'm still not happy with what I have. I finished the day with NPFR 83. I don't have any raw shots to share because I'm still sorting through them.
When I got home, the diningroom had been decorated for my birthday and I was greeted with homemade cards and presents, and a beautiful bouquet of roses.
I was out in the sun too long at CCFEMS 16 and got burnt (I'd be upset if this was the first time I'd done it to myself) so I'm content to work on post-production edits today on my final station selections to sell license.
This week, I have to finish up the CD of the stations, get some legal formality junk done for visitations and financial disclosure, photograph Live Fire Training in Punta Gorda on Wednesday, and try to get a babysitter so we can actually go out like normal people do on Saturday.
Both my daughter and my husband are home so life can resume.
Tom now has an updated MCSE, the details of which he could explain more than I could. I'm very proud of him.
I retook station shots of CCFEMS 5, 6, and 7 and PGFD 2 and 3. Tomorrow, I have an attorney appointment after which I'll be able to redo CCFEMS 16, PGFD 1, and all the CCFEMS that are in El Jobean and over that bridge into Englewood. I also have to retake CCFEMS 2 because I just don't like what I have and I'm not selling something I can't put my name on.
At some point, I need to go to Myakkahatchee Creek Nature Park to repair a chewed up geocache that we'd adopted. Some animal gnawed on it a week or so after we adopted it to prevent it from getting archived. I'd scheduled that repair for this week but that was before the hospital gig came up.
I also need to remove some of my waymarks from the directory until I can update coordinates and photos. Many of the "Art About Town" exhibits that were scattered throughout downtown Punta Gorda have been relocated to a park across from Fisherman's Village. This effectively outdates all the information that I have for those waymarks.
This is Punta Gorda Fire Department Station 3. My photoshop skills have fallen short for this one. This was the shot I really wanted to sell for PGFD 3 but I cannot fix the hedges to their proper "PGFD" look. I'm really aggravated about it.
CCFEMS 7 always photographs beautifully. It is the station by the Punta Gorda Airport. This is the typical floorplan that's becoming the standard for all new CCFEMS stations, with very little variation from one to another; but, for some reason, Station 7 is always more photogenic. Lucky 7. Once I got done cleaning up the shot, I was very happy with it.
Tomorrow is, of course, my birthday. I am turning 29 (again).
For digital printing, I've been testing different vendors and I've decided on Snapfish by hp. Not only are they consistently prompt with delivery, in addition to providing local store pick-up options, but the product is consistently high quality, exceeding my expectations each and every time. Short of having the equipment to do everything in-office, I couldn't be happier.
Since I didn't explicitly say something that should have been said, I'm writing this addendum to the previous post that was dealing with the acknowledgment of allies.
The problem with acknowledging allies is the compulsive need for allies to demand acknowledgement. The lack of acknowledgement will not magically resolve the pressure from allies to be acknowledged. The resolution can only be brought by the allies themselves.
So, fellow allies, knock it off!
If you think you deserve a parade, a pat on the back, a cookie, a trophy, a compliment or the slightest bit of attention for being an ally, you're doing it wrong.
Today was just photoshop work. I reshot CCFEMS Station 2 but I don't like any of the shots and will go back again when I can get people to move their cars out of the way. There was a [presuming] false alarm at the high school, which had Engine 1, Truck 2 and a Rescue there and gone in the time it took me to pick up the kids from their school. There was some fire off towards Deep Creek this evening but Deep Creek is such a maze that I've learned my lesson trying to chase smoke in that place.
My husband is scheduled to return from this MCSE boot camp on Sunday afternoon and I'm greatly looking forward to him back home.
Tommy has transitioned himself to regular cups, which means no more sippy cups and no more demands for drinks at bedtime. Since I always dread having to go through the transitional period of getting a child to stop a behavior they don't want to stop, having him initiate all of it and accept what comes along with it is a tremendous relief! He's still very diligent with brushing his teeth and washing his hands. He will do anything that feels grown up.
Privilege 101 is learning that you don't get a pat on the back, or a trophy, or a parade, or any special acknowledgement for doing what's right. The right thing is, of course, to identify and refuse privilege. When done, this helps to create equality in society because those who are privileged are refusing that privilege, allowing the equality where they otherwise undermined it. This is one of many critical things that allies do to bring about change from a place of privilege.
So, it's not unknown that when a man who's new to feminism steps in to talk about how fantastically pro-woman he is or a white person spouts about how much racism they can identify and confront other white people over, that a common reaction will be, "So?"
Another form of this same attaboy-seeking behavior is in the argument, "We're not all like that!" When discussing systematic oppressions, generalisations are frequently used to easily communicate important ideas. The need for an ally to identify themselves as being different is an act of privilege in and of itself. "You must acknowledge me." The truth of it is that if you're doing the right thing, you don't get a reward for that or a special mention under "exceptions". "White people partake in the racial privilege of a systematically oppressive society... except for Bob over there who's doing a swell job sticking up for POC!"
Despite this being Privilege 101, despite this being very well known that people don't get cookies for doing the decent thing because the decent thing isn't and shouldn't be a special achievement, despite knowing all of that, I still see posts that commend allies for their participation. Are "attaboy"s given out as a way to head-off the almost inevitable "not me!" comments that follow any generalisation so the discussion doesn't get derailed into all the fantastic things white people do for POC?
Even if such acknowledgments are included to shut us up, it seems apologetic. "I'm sorry I'm saying this because I know you're different."
Forget that. I'm not different. That's the point of needing to be an ally in the first place. An ally isn't someone special, an ally is just someone who's trying to do the right thing. They may or may not be doing a good job of it, but, regardless, they aren't an exception to anything. White people don't get cookies for being decent.
Mind you, I don't mind positive feedback but I want to make it clear that I'm doing what I expect that I should do... and I could be doing a lot more. Every ally is doing what they expect they should do and they all could be doing a lot more, especially if they think they're an exception.
Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 12
Before:
After:
North Port Fire Rescue Station 82
Before:
After:
What is your definition of cheating?
Not playing by the rules clearly defined on the inside of the box lid or within the included insert, with exception of the traditional methods of play that can stray from the defined rules but make play more interesting, the boundaries of which are clearly understood by all players.
See: Monopoly.
I've heard all kinds of definitions for what constitutes cheating in a relationship. Some people believe you're cheating if you're emotionally intimate, even if not physically intimate, with someone else. Some people believe you're cheating if you're physically intimate, not necessarily emotionally intimate, with someone else. Others think both of these have to happen... or either. Some think intention to cheat is the same as cheating. Some think a kiss or flirting is cheating.
Personally, I wouldn't go so far as to say flirting is cheating unless you're flirting with the intention to cheat, in which case you're not cheating, yet, but you'd certainly be headed for trouble. However, I think it's important to emphasise that betrayal in a relationship does not need to be any particular definition of cheating. Betrayal covers a lot of ground because we're talking about trust. Someone can betray their partner without any act of infidelity, however you want to define it. Trust can be so delicate that I don't see the point in ever quibbling over what "cheating" is. When it comes to trust, you don't negotiate the lines, you respect them.
My Groups
-
Wildlife Photographers & Artists Updated: 3 minutes ago
-
Photography Updated: 55 minutes ago
-
B/W Photography Updated: 55 minutes ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
